The Collegian

Issue date: 10/1/09 Section: Focus

Media Credit: William Clayton

Hillsdale College students find themselves at war against many adversities on the campus battlefield. For many students, smoking combats the qualms of college life.

However, some students recognize smoking also creates a separate, more compromising battle on its own.

"It's such a love-hate relationship," said Tory Bilsley, a sophomore.

For Bilsley, smoking is a way of escaping personal tribulations. However, she has lately wondered whether it really helps her escape, or if her smoking habits lead towards more problems.

"It evolved into asthma in my late teens," she said. "It really affects my breathing - I can't run."

For Bilsley, self-control is a challenge.

"Once you light your first one, you're downhill," Bilsley said. "It's perfect for the ten minutes between classes, ya know, just smoke a cigarette."

Senior Ian Faley said he enjoys a rare smoke when not playing rugby. Despite this, he said he valued athletics too much to make smoking a daily habit.

"As an athlete in season, I can't afford to have it hinder my playing so it's kept as a special occasion," he said.

Bilsley, meanwhile, describes her daily routine as an "addiction." She views smoking as an activity between friends - something fun, enjoyable and relieving.

"It becomes a part of your routine," she said. "It's me time when I'm stressed out."

Despite the comforts smoking brings her, her cravings have repeatedly stalled her attempts at quitting.

"It starts social, and then turns into an addiction," she said. "It doesn't start as an addiction."

Junior Ryan Black, meanwhile, said he feels content with smoking because he is not addicted.

"You don't know you're addicted until you smoke by yourself," Black said.

For him, smoking is not essential to his daily routine because he knows he can limit himself. In fact, he says his smoking is purely social, and feels he will have no need for it once he graduates.

Senior Josh Koczman, who is taking the semester off, has a similar story.

Like Black, Koczman agrees smoking is more of a laid-back pastime.

Each said the addictive quality of cigarettes is not a factor in their decisions to smoke. Since their habit is not an addiction, they see no need to quit.

Black and Koczman are each confident in their ability to stop smoking.

Though worried about the addictive aspect, the health concerns do not faze Bilsley.

"It's bad for my health," Bilsley said. "So what? I'll worry about that when I'm 40."

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